Another Free-Market Approach to Health Care Reform
The more I look at the Democrat’s approach to health care reform, the more I see it as an attack on the free-market, freedom in general, and our nation’s heritage and principles.
There is although excellent ideas on health care reform that no one is talking about in the ‘main stream media’. These approaches are logical and will most certainly lower our health care costs across the nation, and at the same time provide options for high risk customers.
The CATO Institute, which is a libertarian think tank, has produced an efficient list of ‘free-market’ health care reform options. These options must be heard by the American people, because they will actually work (unlike the Democrat plan), and will not require an increase in taxes or the government. In fact, they will actually make you and me richer, because we will be able to keep more of our hard earned income.
What Is the Free-Market Approach to Health Care Reform?
President Obama is right when he says that the U.S. health care system needs reform. Although this country provides the finest care in the world, our health care system has serious problems. It costs too much. Too many people lack health insurance. And quality can be uneven.
But a government takeover of the health care system, as proposed by the president and some in Congress, would be a step in the wrong direction. Instead, we should pursue a uniquely American solution, one that builds on free markets, competition and choice.
1. Let individuals control their health care dollars, and free them to choose from a wide variety of health plans and providers.
2. Move away from a health care system dominated by employer-provided health insurance. Health insurance should personal and portable, controlled by individuals themselves rather than government or an employer. Employment-based insurance hides much of the true cost of health care to consumers, thereby encouraging over-consumption. It also limits consumer choice, since employers get final say over what type of insurance a worker will receive. It means people who don’t receive insurance through work are put at a significant and costly disadvantage. And, of course, it means that if you lose your job, you are likely to end up uninsured as well.
3. Changing from employer to individual insurance requires changing the tax treatment of health insurance. The current system excludes the value of employer-provided insurance from a worker’s taxable income. However, a worker purchasing health insurance on their own must do so with after-tax dollars. This provides a significant tilt towards employer-provided insurance, which should be reversed. Workers should receive a standard deduction, a tax credit, or, better still, large Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for the purchase of health insurance, regardless of whether they receive it through their job or purchase it on their own.
4. We need to increase competition among both insurers and health providers. People should be allowed to purchase health insurance across state lines. One study estimated that that adjustment alone could cover 17 million uninsured Americans without costing taxpayers a dime.
5. We also need to rethink medical licensing laws to encourage greater competition among providers. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, midwives, and other non-physician practitioners should have far greater ability to treat patients. Doctors and other health professionals should be able to take their licenses from state to state. We should also be encouraging innovations in delivery such as as medical clinics in retail outlets.
6. Congress should give Medicare enrollees a voucher, let them choose any health plan on the market, and let them keep the savings if they choose an economical plan. Medicare could even give larger vouchers to the poor and sick to ensure they could afford coverage.
7. The expansion of “health status insurance” would protect many of those with preexisting conditions. States may also wish to experiment with high risk pools to ensure coverage for those with high cost medical conditions.
These options are logical because they attack the real problem with our health care in this country – the COST! The problem is not that we need better health care, our health care in the US is the best in the world. The problem is that it is too expensive and that there are about 15 million who can’t get insurance because of pre-existing conditions…
By attacking the real problem in health care, and keeping liberty as our guide, (as CATO has done) real solutions can be accomplished on reforming health care. (Isn’t it wonderful, when our problems in this country are solved by more freedom?)
Sadly, most Americans are not aware of these possible reforms in health care… Nor are they aware of the Republican’s bill in Congress to reform health care. This bill also increases our freedom, and reforms health care without increasing the size of government and our taxes. Read about it here.
I ask, isn’t it time for more freedom?
“It stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there’s someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice, speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master.” –novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
Rock on Brother!
Keep this great stuff coming!